Orthopedic prostheses are commonly utilized to repair and/or replace damaged bone and tissue in a human body. For example, a knee prosthesis can include a femoral component that is configured to replace the articular surface of one or both of the natural condyles at a distal end of a femur. Frequently, the femoral component articulates with a tibial component attached to a proximal end of a patient's tibia, so that the knee prosthesis completely replaces the articular surfaces of the natural knee femur and tibia.
The surgery that is required to install knee prostheses is invasive and typically involves the use of numerous instruments to, among other things, establish femoral alignment (e.g., using a femoral valgus alignment guide); establish external rotation (e.g., using an anterior referencing femoral sizing guide); and size the femur. The use of multiple instruments often requires the surgeon to place and remove each instrument as he or she progresses through a surgical procedure. Each time, the surgeon must establish or re-establish a correct positioning for each subsequent instrument used during the surgical procedure. Establishing or re-establishing the correct positioning for each instrument can be cumbersome and time consuming. In addition, it is possible that establishing or re-establishing the correct positioning for each instrument each time it is replaced with the subsequent instrument can lead to errors in positioning and, as a result, in the improper installation of the prosthesis.